Out of the Darkness
by OrigamiCake
Summary: If not for Jaden, then who else would Haou be born for? If not for Haou, then who else will be Jaden's protector? Jaden didn't expect to fall in love with a tyrant, the one who killed all those innocent people and his friends. Never mind a tyrant that was technically himself. But that was exactly what happened. Angst with Happy Ending.


**_Warnings for Slash, Unhealthy Relationships, Possessive Behavior, Major Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Yandere Behavior, Stokholm Syndrome (I think), AU, Etc._**

 ** _Starts from end of ep. 138 (or was it 137?) and turns almost completely non-canon after Haou's death. Some places might seem odd. And I can't seem to remember anything that happened after Amon (Adrian? Something like that). If I ever go and refresh my memory, there's a chance of me suddenly switching to use their Japanese names._**

* * *

 _Chapter One: The Fall_

* * *

 _See how they've abandoned you, Jaden? But I won't do the same. Friendship is useless. I'm all that you need. I'll protect you._

The trees were numerous, their forms towering and clustering, making it hard for civilized life to stay here. The sounds in the night and calls of monsters echoed. It was far, far away from any settlements, free from the colonization of the human race and more intelligent monsters alike. There was plenty of danger and darkness, especially under the cover of eternal night.

Which is why this forest was a perfect place to test out his newfound power. The foliage underfoot crunched as his red boots upset the fallen leaves. He grimaced at the vibrant color. It was too… Bright in this world of darkness. Too passionate. Too _Jaden_ and, even if he might share a body with the bright, naïve teen, he wasn't Jaden.

He was… He was Haou.

He paused to examine his attire properly, now that he had gotten full and complete control and that there was no one to disturb him. Red was the most prominent color on him. A bright red jacket and shoes with minimum black and white for his top and pants. He placed a hand over his chest as he felt the material. It was soft, flimsy, and it didn't make him look imposing at all.

That wasn't ideal. First impressions were very important and he did want to gather followers instead of having to slaughter every single monster and human he came across for power.

It was time for a change of attire. With a wave of his hand, shadows swirled around his body along with golden light. It materialized into a set of black and gold armor with a matching helmet. Making a fist, he tested it out. It was a little more bulky than he would've liked, but it didn't limit his movement too much and it was appropriately imposing. The helmet was perfect for concealing his identity and the visor didn't obstruct his view.

He tapped the breastplate curiously before curling his hand into a fist and smashing it against the nearest tree. When he pulled his hand away, there was sizable mark, the bark had cracked and splintered beneath the force of his punch. There wasn't a scratch on the material covering his hands though. It seemed good enough to protect him if someone got the slip on him, but that shouldn't happen, since dueling was the best way to deal with things around here. But just incase… He'd have to test the strength of the armor later when he had the resources to do so.

 _Jaden…?_ He tried, folding his arms with some discomfort. He frowned up at the sky. He'd have to fix that. _Jaden!_

There was absolutely no reply from his lighter, purer half.

His eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the fast approaching presence that couldn't possibly belong to a man, only a beast. It was a good thing that his other half was so deep inside the darkness to the point of being unaware. Jaden couldn't protect himself despite how powerful he could become, and what little cruelty and anger he had managed to muster up had only made him vulnerable and stricken in the end.

He was too sensitive, too innocent for this world. Which was where Haou came in. Jaden was his to protect. And Haou would give him the world, if need be, but right now, Jaden's feelings would only get in the way. If he didn't hate Jaden's so-called friends so much, he'd thank them for striking his other half down and submerging him in the darkness.

A rumbling roar knocked him from his thoughts and his eyes flicked to the source. The shadows with eyes that had been carefully observing him since he arrived scattered into the disturbed stillness of the night, terrified at the loud, powerful noise.

The bushes in front of him parted and out leaped a beast of fangs and fur. He raised an arm to defend himself, and the beast chomped down, teeth hitting, but not piercing, the dark metal of his armor. A smirk curled his lips as he gathered his power into his arms and managed to fling the great beast away without much trouble. It wasn't the ideal situation to test out the durability of his armor, but the results were good.

The beast snarled as it staggered back up, agitated at its hunt not going as well as planned. It's prey was, after all, smaller than it and, despite the imposing look the human had in black and gold, it didn't have any truly threatening natural weapons. No horns, - the ones on the human's shoulder blades didn't count because they were in a useless position for defending - spines, fangs or claws to speak of, although the armor was exceptionally hard. Too bad that the beast was too hungry to recognize the danger.

It growled threateningly at Haou as it eyed the human, shaking it's mane out to make it look bigger and roared. It's pack burst through the foliage not too long later, furred creatures just like the largest and first beast to intrude upon Haou's wandering.

Lifting his arm, he materialized a duel disk into being. One very different from the academy disk Jaden used. It was black and gold as well, just like his armor, with an eye-like orb in the middle. The pack circled him threateningly, though Haou was more concerned on drawing cards and looking through them, his duel disk now activated. And, just as they pounced, Haou made his move.

"Come out, Evil Hero Malicious Edge!" There were no need for rules in a situation like this, so he easily summoned forth one of his powerful monsters.

In a shower of sparks, the demonic hero appeared. It took little effort for Malicious Edge to get rid of the beasts, metal sliding through fur and flesh with simple ease. Even the ones which wanted to flee with their tails between their legs were forced to pounce and meet their demise.

In no time at all, Haou and his evil hero were the only living beings left and Haou's smirk only grew wider as Malicious edge faded away. He closed his eyes, still smirking, as he sought out the subdued presence of his dear Jaden.

 _Sleep well, Jaden. Don't worry, I'll do everything for you._

This… This was power.

* * *

It was… Lonely, desolate, horrible. He felt betrayed and guilty all at once. And the worst part of it was that they were dead and they would never come back.

He could feel himself slipping into the darkness and he did nothing to stop it. The whispers that pervaded his mind, Haou's voice, just egged him on, pushed him further and further towards the precipice.

All he wanted to do was sleep. Sleep and never wake up.

After all, what good was he without the support of his friends? What good was he when he didn't even have the power to protect them. They fell one by one and what could he do? He couldn't do anything but watch as they died.

Syrus was right. He was horrible. He was a horrible, horrible person. He deserved death, though it was cowardly of him to want it. Being dead meant being blind to the world and its horrors. It meant that he'd never have to see his friends in pain and suffering again. It meant he would never feel that hopeless feeling again, never be useless, never let others down. It meant that he could give a sliver of joy to his friends before resting. He could rest, and boy was he tired.

But something in him protested. _Power_ , it hissed, _power is all you need. Then you'll never get hurt again. Then you'll be alright. The darkness will give you power._

Would power have stopped the deaths of his friends? Deaths which were caused by the pursue of power? Would power really have helped? Perhaps it would, because now he knew that justice without power to enforce it was nothing. Nothing but a silly, childish dream.

But when he fell over the edge, it wasn't for power or enteral rest, but the whispers of safety and warmth that hissed temptations into his ears.

When he fell over the edge, he fell into Haou's arms.

When he fell over the edge, he felt secure and loved.

And he let it happen because he heard those words.

 _I'll protect you. I'll do everything for you._

Though it was selfish, it was what he wanted all along. To be protected and cared for.

So he fell with a smile on his face.

* * *

Jim was frantic, in a state that Axel had never seen before. But when he was pulled aside, he understood.

"Look," the crocodile-befriending man said. "I found this, some way from camp."

It was an academy duel disk.

"Jaden's missing."


End file.
